Tag Archives: food pyramid

A Rounder Plan

The USDA just launched MyPlate, their replacement for the Food Pyramid. Say goodbye to the triangular pyramid and hello to the Round plate.

The goal is to lead Americans away from starchy and meaty meals, and steer them towards more plant-based foods.

These governmental foodies are now promoting a colorful plate in quarters:

Green for vegetables

Red for fruits

Orange for grains

Purple for protein

Myplate or MyPyramid?

Turns out that many nutritionists in the know are not completely pleased by this change due to the plate’s decreased focus on healthy choices for grains, protein, and fat. MyPlate does not mention avoiding sugary baked goods, breakfast cereals, and drinks, or those salty processed foods and snacks that make up a bulk of many American’s daily meals that are making everyone fatter and unhealthier.

MyPlate’s Pluses

The new healthy eating plate visually represents portion sizes and shows how a balanced meal should be at least half vegetables and fruits. MyPlate is also considered to be based on better science than MyPyramid or old-fashioned Food Guide Pyramid.

Unlike MyPyramid, the Round MyPlate allows people to learn what to eat using more visual cues. Sounds very Round to those of us who know that Round food is the healthiest food to eat–and that you can choose the healthiest food by their Round shape!

New American Plate Copycat

Another note of interest is that MyPlate is a near clone of the New American Plate, developed in 1999 by the American Institute for Cancer Research.